Crane or similar lifting device



0. TAUSSIG. CRANE 0R SIMILAR LIFTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FI LED FEB. 12.1915- 1,327,181.

azfar 730.:8/7 M M W a SHEETS Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

0. TAUSSIG. CRANE 0R SIMILAR LIFTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2. 1915- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented Jan. 6,1920.

0. TAUSSIG.

CRANE OR SHVHLAB LIFTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12.1915.

1 ,327, 1 81 Patented Jan. 6', 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Fig.6.

7/ j 629% Evans/ 9 OSKAR TAUSSIG, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA.

CRANE OR SIMILAR LIF'IINGDEVIGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 12, 1915. Serial No. 7,670.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, Osnnn TAUSSIG, mech. engineer, subject of theEmperor of Austria, residing at Vienna, XX. Dresdnerstrasse 49, in thecounty of Lower Austria and Stateof Austria, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Cranes or Similar Lifting Devices; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention,,such, as will on able others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to cranes or similar lifting devices and has forits object the provision of an auxiliary device to secure slow and softlifting of heavy loads, espe cially at the beginning or during the firststage of lifting; so designed, however, that after the load has oncebeen lifted for a relatively small height, further lifting of the loadmay be carried out more rapidly and in the usual manner.

With previous cranes or the like provided to effect a soft or easylifting initially, as in foundries or in mounting or erection plants,such gentle lifting has been produced by a proportional throttling ofthe efliciency of the driving motor, a procedure which obviously hasbeen accompanied by many inconveniences.

According to the present invention the initial elevation of the load isefiected byan auxiliary source of power which functions prior to themain source of power, at any desired point of the entire liftingapparatus, as at the point of application of the load, at the suspensionpointof the hook, at the place of anchoring the end of the rope or ofthe chain, at the bearings of the rope or chain drum or wheel, orsultably elsewhere.

Obviously it will also be possible to. arrange the main source of poweritself so that it will assist in the first slow and soft lifting of theload. For example, there may be provided a connecting gear,.engag1ngwith the driving gear of the main lifting apparatus, and, if desired,transmitting rotation from one gear to a slower one; and,

in addition, means operable tothrow the connection gear into and out ofconnection with the main'driving gear.

The principle of the invention may be structurally carried into effectin many different ways, some of which areillustrated in the annexedsheets of drawings, in which Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Figures 1 and 2, in vertical sectionand in plan respectively, show oneembodiment of the invention as applied to the cranecarriage;

Fig. 3, similar to Fig. 1, shows a modication;

Figs. 4.- andS, in elevation and in plan respectively, show anothermodification;

Figs. 6 and 7, in front and side elevations respectively, show anembodiment as combined with the lifting hook.

Fig. 8- is a view showing certain of the parts of Fig. .3, illustratinganother modification; and

Fig. 9 is a view showingcertain of the parts of Fig. 1, illustratingstill another modification.

In Figs. 1 and 2there is represented a crane-carriage of usualconstruction. To

fully understand the drawing, it is sufficient to state that thecarriage consists of a frame formed by channel irons 1, 2, 3 and 4,which frame carries wheels 5, 6, 7 and 8 resting upon suitable trackrails not shown in the drawing. The wheels 5 and 7 are keyed on a shaft9 and thewheels 6 and 8 are keyed on a shaft 10. The carriage travels onits track rails, the drive being from a ropeor chain-pulley 11, throughpinion 12 'and gear 13, the former fast on the pulley shaft andthelatter fast on shaftlO. The frame is also provided with a shaft 1 1which may be driven through a rope or chain-pulley 15,

the shaft 14: in its turndriving a shaft20 by means of pinion 16, gear17 pinion 18 and gear 19. A sprocket wheel 21 is keyed on the shaft 20.Over thissprocket wheel 21 is passed a chain 22, which then passespending a book 26. As the sprocket wheel 21 is driven in one directionor the other, the movable sprocket wheel 23 and the hook 26 are liftedor lowered.

the movable sprocket According to the present invention the point 27where the end of the chain is attached to the carriage, is movablecontrary to the ordinary fixed arrangement. Here such connection is notanywhere on the'body of the carriage, but is located upon the strap 28of an eccentric 29. As aresult, sprocket wheel 21 may remain stationary,and veta" slight rotation of eccentric 29 will dis g -lacc strap 28 sothat hook 26 may be gently and gradually raised, without necessitatingany other operation preparatory to using the main driving apparatuseither later or simultaneously. In order to require but small power tothus rotate the eccentric 29,

the shaft 30 upon which the eccentric iskeyed has fast thereon aworm-wheel 31, in mesh with a worm 32 rotating with a wormwheel 33, thelatter worm-wheel meshing -with a worm driven by a small motor 35.

The'carriage represented in Fig. 3 shows a slmllar constructlon as thatbefore described, the only diiference being that the point-of attachment36 of the chain 37 is on a hanger 38, pivotally suspended from one arm39 of a bell crank lever, the other arm 40 of which is operated by arope 41 or thelike. It is obvious, that by means of this device thepoint of attachment 36 of the chain 37 may be lifted and lowered,whereby initial liftingof the load suspended from the hook 42 may beefiected softly by means of a pull exerted upon the rope 41 and furtherlifting of the load may be efiected in the usual manner by means of asprocket wheel 43.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the principle of theinvention as explained in the preamble of this specification is appliedin the following manner. Shaft 44, corresponding to the shaft 20 ofFigs. land 2, has fixed thereon a mainchain-driving sprocket-wheel 45,which may not only be driven by a main driving apparatus similar to thatof Figs. 1 and 2, but also and inde pendently by an auxiliary or gentledriving apparatus. As to this main driving apparatus of Figs. 4 and 5,of course the gear 44 corresponds to the gear 19 of Figs. 1 and 2. Theauxiliary driving apparatus includes the pinions 46 and 47, the idlergear therebetween as shown best in Fig. 4, and another or" othersuitable gears not illustrated. The pinion 46 or 47 will rotate with thearmature-shaft ofv a small auxiliary motor 48, and the other pinionwillmesh directly with the unillustrated gear just mentioned- As a matter ofcourse suitable clutches will be provided so that alternately or asdesired, the shaft 44 will be driven by means of either the gear 44' orthe motor 48. Hence the first stage of elevation of the load may beeffected in a soft or gentle manner by means of the motor 48 (the gearratios having been conveniently determined), and then, after changingthe clutch connection,

further elevation of the load may beeffected by the usual apparatus.

Figs. 6 and 7 show another application of the fundamental idea of theinvention.

In this case the usual hook 49'carries a 1 casing including two shields51 by means of a yokeshaped bolt 50. Within the casing is located aneccentric 52, the strap 53 of which carries the load-hook 54. Upon theaxis of the eccentric is keyed a worm wheel 55, meshing witha worm 56 tobe rotated by an auxiliary motor 57. The motor and the worm 56 arefastened to and carried by the casing. Upon rotating the worm wheel 55by means of the auxiliary motor 57 the eccentric 52 is turned and theposition of hook 54 is altered in a vertical direction; so that herealso an initial slow and soft lifting of the load suspended from thehooks 50 and 54 may be eflected. Thereafter, the load may be liftedfurther by means of the ordinary mechanism of the crane. Thisconstruction oflers the advantage that it may be applied to or used withthe hook or with the chain ofevery lifting device already known and inuse.

From the structures above described it will be seen how differently theprinciple of the invention may be practically applied; and itis ofcourse to be understood that numerous other modifications are possibleto fulfil the purpose of the invention. Furthermore, even with themodifications shown as modes of carrying out the invention, thestructural features may be varied; for example it is very well possibleto combine the point of attachment of the chain with the piston of ahydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, as shown in Fig. 8, in connection withthe structure of Fig. 3, where the cylinder is indicated at 60, wherebya soft lifting of the load may be produced; or lifting screws or similarmeans may be employed, as shown 100 in Fig. 9, in connection with thestructure of Fig.1l, where a plurality of screws are shown at 6 What Iclaim is:

1. In a lifting device, the combination 105 with a device for suspendingthe load, susthe traction device is attached, means for drawing in saidbight to move the load en-. gaging device, and auxiliary means formoving the eccentric on its axis; substantially as described.

3. In a lifting device, the combination with means for suspending a loadand winding means for the load suspending means, of a main source ofpower, mechanism driven by the source of power and including a tractiondevice, an eccentric, an eccentric strap operated thereby, and anauxiliary source of to vary the height of the load engaging depoWer foroperating the eccentric, one end vice irrespective pf the operation ofthe ecof the traction device being attached to the centric;substantially as described.

eccentric strap. In testimony whereof I afiix my signa- 5 4. In alifting device, the combination of ture, in presence of two Witnesses.

a traction device, a load engaging device OSK AR TAUSSIG hoisted andlowered by operation of the traction device, an eccentric operative toWitnesses:

vary the height of the load engaging device, AUGUST FUGGER, 10 and meansfor operating the traction device SIEGFRIED NEUTRA.

